The Definitive Vocal Credits Thread...

[Ebb and Flow]

Totally agree with you on that one.  That's definitely Brian at the end.

[Aegir]

Wow, that's Mike on those Wild Honey leads? THAT'S AMAZING. I honestly thought they were Brian. Go Mike!

[adamghost]

"How She Boogalooed It" was Carl, as confirmed by Alan Boyd, who as I understand it, consulted Jardine to confirm it.  Don't know why the dueling Al comments, but I remember this having come up before.  It only sounds like Al to me in spots (perhaps the first two lines), otherwise it sounds totally consistent with Carl's other leads on the album.  Listen to the words "reelin'", "affection", etc., the distinctive "curl" to the end of the note.  Al never sang like that; his voice has a reedier texture.  Carl did.

The quote about Carl having Al sing it because it was too high for him doesn't make sense to me because (a) Al's name comes first as primary songwriter and (b) Carl's base vocal range was, if anything, higher than Al's (even though they both could hit pretty high notes...I'm referring to their comfort range.  Consider Carl's vocal on the first half of "Trader" which was, if anything, a little low for his voice in parts, even though he managed fine.  Now imagine Al singing it.  It's right smack in his natural register).  Now what makes more sense to me is that the vocal was too high for AL and he passed it on to CARL...since Al theoretically wrote most of it, he'd likely be the one to get first crack at singing it.  This also makes sense to me in that Al has more of a distinct crossover in his natural voice to his higher register than Carl did, so it would be easier for Carl to negotiate the top of his full voice range (though there's some overemoted notes on that tune, I grant you).  I can see Al having said that in the interview and either accidentally getting it backwards, having it transcribed backwards, or having remembered the interview backwards.

I've heard a live version of it from '67 and it's obviously Carl on that as well.  I hesitate to contradict my esteemed friend Mr. Doe, but...Carl.

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

I told myself I wasn't going to read this thread because I get so exasperated at people's inability to recognize what seems obvious to me.  How's that for an arrogant statement...

I apologize, and I'm not saying anybody has a bad ear, but come on.  Listen to the Party! outtakes where it's just the Boys talking for long stretches.  Get familiar with their speaking voices.  Al pronounces things so differently from the Wilsons and Mike.  Carl's voice in particular is very distinct and his peculiarities seem as clear as day to me on the "Boogaloo" lead.  How could anybody mistake that for Al?  Aieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Again, apologies.

[Andrew G. Doe]

I've heard a live version of it from '67 and it's obviously Carl on that as well.  I hesitate to contradict my esteemed friend Mr. Doe, but...Carl.

Iffn Boyd says so, it must be true. I genuflect in his general direction. 

[Andrew G. Doe]

Listen to the Party! outtakes where it's just the Boys talking for long stretches. 

But how can we do this ? Those are unsanctioned releases, and I know that none of the fine upstanding people here would dream of having anything to do with such reprehensible practise. 

[shelter]

General vocals question: I remember once reading (can't remember where) that Mike said he had a "secret falsetto", meaning that he (at least thought he) could sing falsetto if he wanted to... Does anyone know if he ever did that on record?

[matt-zeus]

General vocals question: I remember once reading (can't remember where) that Mike said he had a "secret falsetto", meaning that he (at least thought he) could sing falsetto if he wanted to... Does anyone know if he ever did that on record?

He sang it to each of his wives shortly before they divorced....

Seriously though it sounds like one of Loves 'Me too' speeches, I'm surprised he didn't include it in his Rock and Roll hall of fame speech!

[Andrew G. Doe]

Dunno about on record, but live he did some falsetto on the 1978 Australia/New Zealand tour.

[Ebb and Flow]

Though it's obviously in jest, on the last verse of the Farmer's Daughter portion of "Cassius Love Vs. Sonny Wilson" Mike is singing in a high voice that isn't that bad.  That's the only thing I can think of.

[matt-zeus]

In 'All I wanna do' he sings quite high too.

[MBE]

Dennis sings high on the live Never Learn on Mike Douglas.

[John]

"How She Boogalooed It" was Carl, as confirmed by Alan Boyd, who as I understand it, consulted Jardine to confirm it.  Don't know why the dueling Al comments, but I remember this having come up before.  It only sounds like Al to me in spots (perhaps the first two lines), otherwise it sounds totally consistent with Carl's other leads on the album.  Listen to the words "reelin'", "affection", etc., the distinctive "curl" to the end of the note.  Al never sang like that; his voice has a reedier texture.  Carl did.

The quote about Carl having Al sing it because it was too high for him doesn't make sense to me because (a) Al's name comes first as primary songwriter and (b) Carl's base vocal range was, if anything, higher than Al's (even though they both could hit pretty high notes...I'm referring to their comfort range.  Consider Carl's vocal on the first half of "Trader" which was, if anything, a little low for his voice in parts, even though he managed fine.  Now imagine Al singing it.  It's right smack in his natural register).  Now what makes more sense to me is that the vocal was too high for AL and he passed it on to CARL...since Al theoretically wrote most of it, he'd likely be the one to get first crack at singing it.  This also makes sense to me in that Al has more of a distinct crossover in his natural voice to his higher register than Carl did, so it would be easier for Carl to negotiate the top of his full voice range (though there's some overemoted notes on that tune, I grant you).  I can see Al having said that in the interview and either accidentally getting it backwards, having it transcribed backwards, or having remembered the interview backwards.

I've heard a live version of it from '67 and it's obviously Carl on that as well.  I hesitate to contradict my esteemed friend Mr. Doe, but...Carl.

Thanks. The first few lines in particular sound so Carl to me...

[John]

Dennis sings high on the live Never Learn on Mike Douglas.

And Slip On Through...

[John]

Right, how's everyone fixed...is "Wind Chimes" settled?

What about the Mama Says question? How many voices are on there?

And Wonderful, which is it - girls or varispeed?

[adamghost]

Real great question about Mike's falsetto!  When did he sing falsetto on the '78 tour?

"All I Want To Do" and "Cassius Love vs. Sonny Wilson" are the only two instances I can think of where Mike went for the falsetto, the latter of course making fun of Brian and not much of a performance.  But he did make the point that "anybody can sing like a mouse" so presumably he can.

Dennis could sing pretty high when he wanted to; it's shocking how similar to Brian he sounds on Mike Douglas.  He even hit some fairly high notes on POB, when he'd lost a lot of his range.  There were a lot of notes there that sounded low, but if you try to sing them, were fairly up there.  The issue with Dennis in his upper register was probably not the ability to hit the notes but to control them...if you listen to the end of "Slip On Through" carefully, you can tell what I mean by that.

[adamghost]

Thanks. The first few lines in particular sound so Carl to me...

I guess I should have said "sound of a party", the last half of the second line.  That's the only part of the vocal that sounds "Al-like" to my ears.

[Guy]

Wonderful: I'd say vari-speeded, the voices sound so strange, especially in the background during the "hey-baba-roo-ba section" I can't imagine these voices not being technically treated, judging just by the sound of them though.

Mama says: Bruce has a distinctive "sweet" voice. I don't hear it, Bruce was notably absent from vocal sessions in this period, wasn't he? Dennis: perhaps, I can't figure out how many voices are singing midrange.

Wind chimes: I think this song is in parts extremely difficult to figure out. To my ears apart from the fifth and sixth lines (identified as Brian and Carl) more lines are sung by two guys, the line right after that one for example "Now and then..." and "It's so peaceful. Close to a lullaby". I don't have a proper idea who are singing these lines, my guess would be Brian and Carl.

Apart from that I think the closeup as it is now is correct.

Re: Mike's falsetto; the chorus of Please let me wonder?

[pixletwin]

If by Please Let Me Wander" you mean the lines "If I've been the one you love. If I'm who you're dreaming of"... that aint falsetto.

[Guy]

If by Please Let Me Wander" you mean the lines "If I've been the one you love. If I'm who you're dreaming of"... that aint falsetto.

Good thing I used a ?, huh? What is it then?

[pixletwin]

I observed the question mark, hence the answer I gave. 

It's Mikes normal voice with a different quality than we are use to getting from him. Just because a person sings in the upper part of their range doesn't mean its a falsetto. Falsetto is a totally different species.

[Guy]

I observed the question mark, hence the answer I gave. 

It's Mikes normal voice with a different quality than we are use to getting from him. Just because a person sings in the upper part of their range doesn't mean its a falsetto. Falsetto is a totally different species.

But it's not, err.... tenor, or bariton, or something

[pixletwin]

I observed the question mark, hence the answer I gave. 

It's Mikes normal voice with a different quality than we are use to getting from him. Just because a person sings in the upper part of their range doesn't mean its a falsetto. Falsetto is a totally different species.

But it's not, err.... tenor, or bariton, or something

Mike is baritone. A baritone can sing in a falsetto. Mike could sing that part of PLMW in a falsetto since it would fall in to that range, but he isn't singing falsetto there. (are you winding me up fellah?  )

[John]

Wonderful: I'd say vari-speeded, the voices sound so strange, especially in the background during the "hey-baba-roo-ba section" I can't imagine these voices not being technically treated, judging just by the sound of them though.

So you don't think that's girls on the "Won-won-wonderful" at the end of the first chorus?

Mama says: Bruce has a distinctive "sweet" voice. I don't hear it, Bruce was notably absent from vocal sessions in this period, wasn't he? Dennis: perhaps, I can't figure out how many voices are singing midrange.

Agreed.

Wind chimes: I think this song is in parts extremely difficult to figure out. To my ears apart from the fifth and sixth lines (identified as Brian and Carl) more lines are sung by two guys, the line right after that one for example "Now and then..." and "It's so peaceful. Close to a lullaby". I don't have a proper idea who are singing these lines, my guess would be Brian and Carl.

I can see this, but on that first line Brian is the loudest and the other part is clearly Carl, so I guess they're the lead vocals even if someone else is singing, so that fulfills the brief on the lead vocal for me.

[pixletwin]

I dunno about the pitch shift allegation. Sure sounds like girls to my ears. Pitch shift (even to a minute degree as with Lennon on Strawberry Fields) has a distinct sound to it, which I just don't hear on the "One-One-Won-der-ful".

My vote is for the Honey girls.